Stubbs book by Trinity House Paintings

Self-Portrait (1781) GeorGe StubbS enamel on WedGWood, 697 mm x 531 mm oval, national Portrait Gallery, london

Written by deniS moiSeev

Trinity House Paintings is an international art dealership. We specialise in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern British and 19th Century works, along with other exceptional pieces. We have a strong reputation for the quality of the artworks that we exhibit and offer to our clients, be they paintings, drawings or sculptures. Established in 2006 by Steven Beale, Trinity House has become a major player in the UK and global art world. Originating in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Broadway, we expanded into Mayfair, London in 2009, and in 2011 we opened our third gallery in Manhattan, New York. Having these three locations, in addition to exhibiting at the major international art fairs in Europe and the US has allowed us to have personal relationships with our clients across the globe. At Trinity House, we act on behalf of private collectors, interior designers and museums, as well as other interested customers, advising on every aspect of sourcing, buying, selling and maintaining fine art. We recognize that clients need not only to be offered fine paintings and works of art, but also to be provided with expert, straightforward advice on buying art and building a collection. Our aim is to make the market approachable by acting as guides through the various aspects involved in buying and selling art. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always delighted to welcome new visitors to our galleries and discover new tastes and collections. We are commited to extensively researching our collection and to always provide our clients with the most up-to-date infomation and scholarship. This short book is dedicated to one of our highlights: Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter (1781) by George Stubbs, one of the greatest 18th Century British artists.

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GeorGe StubbS (Liverpool, England 1724 - London, England 1806)

a Portrait of a Gentleman uPon a Grey Hunter (1781) OIL ON PANEL 24 x 28 in / 61 x 71.25 cm Signed ‘Geo.Stubbs pinxit / 1781’ (lower right) PROVENENCE Robert Nesham (his administrators) Christies, 23 July 1928, Lot 153 Ackermann 1929 Mrs Robert Emmer, Paris Mrs St Clair Balfour, Hamilton, Ontario John Alistair Campbell, Alberta, Canada Mr. Paul Mellon, KBE, 1964 Christie’s New York, 1989 Private collection Private collection, United Kingdom, 2004 EXHIBITED London Royal Academy, Painting in England 1700-1850 from the collection of Mr & Mrs Paul Mellon 12 December 1964 - 28 February 1965, no. 264 New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Art Gallery, Painting in England 1700 - 1850 from the collection of Mr & Mrs Paul Mellon, 15 April - 20 June 1965, no. 176 Tate Gallery, London, George Stubbs 1724 1806, 13 February - 7 April 1985, no. 12.

“Thy pencil, Stubbs, no rival need to fear; Not mimic art, but life itself is here.”1 Horace WalPole, HiStorian, 1763 As a celebrated painter, accomplished dissector and man of science, George Stubbs (1724-1806) was always remarkably true to nature in his art, concerning himself with every aspect of his subject’s anatomy; ultimately, succeeding where contemporaries, such as Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and Thomas Gainsborough (17271788), had failed.2 Yet, far from being a facsimilist, Stubbs injected his artworks with vitality, spirit and poetic lyricism. Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter (Fig. 1) is perhaps one of the finest and most personal paintings in Stubbs’s entire oeuvre, demonstrating his accomplishments as a painter of horses, landscapes and people. In a moment of repose, a gentlemen, who scholars identify as Stubbs’s son, rides a beautiful grey hunter in an imagined variant of Creswell Crags, Stubbs’s favourite topographical location. Although the painting’s merit lies in its masterful execution and subject-matter, its provenance is equally significant. The painting was once owned by Paul Mellon who, according to the Yale Center for British Art, was ‘one of the greatest art collectors and philanthropists of the twentieth century’.3 With an enviably discerning eye, Mellon was particularly fond of works by Stubbs, collecting his paintings and generously offering to present them at exhibitions. Mellon’s philanthropy together with a reassessment of Stubbs’s work contributed in elevating the artist’s status to that of Gainsborough and Reynolds as one of the greatest and most original artists of the eighteenth century. It is, therefore, unsurprising that at auction, works by Stubbs command high prices and often feature as highlights of noteworthy sales. Indeed, it is very rare for a painting by Stubbs of such importance, execution and provenance to become available on the open market.

(fiG. 1) GeorGe StubbS, a Gentleman uPon a Grey Hunter (1781), Private collection

(fiG. 2) GeorGe StubbS, WHiStlejacket (c.1762), national Gallery, london

(fiG. 3) antHony van dyck, equeStrian Portrait of cHarleS i (c.1637), national Gallery, london

‘mr StubbS tHe HorSe Painter’ In his own lifetime, Stubbs was known as ‘Mr Stubbs the horse painter’, a somewhat derogatory label he challenged with dogged determination.4 Without doubt, Stubbs was recognised as the best in his field, yet the eighteenth-century convention concerning the hierarchy of artistic subjects tainted his work and status. Painting equine subjects generally meant that an artist confined himself to the standing of a craftsman and consequently, presented himself as an individual lacking true artistic talent. Nothing could be further away from the truth in the case of Stubbs; a perspective that scholars began supporting in the 1930’s. Stubbs’s reputation as a painter of horses pervades today to the extent that it is scarcely mentioned that Stubbs only began painting horses in his thirties; previous to that, he was predominantly a portraitist. Why Stubbs turned to horses is unknown, however, the importance of the horse to the fabric of the eighteenth century and Stubbs’s interest in looking towards nature for artistic inspiration may be sufficient an answer. Horses in all their incarnations were the eighteenth-century versions of the tractor, tank, motorbike and racing car; the powerful creature deserved detailed study, yet, no one before Stubbs attempted the challenge. The difference between the horses painted before and after Stubbs are exemplary in illustrating his influence on the discipline. Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), an extremely influential portraitist, who was also known for his portrayal of horses did not have the necessary knowledge to paint the creature convincingly; in the Equestrian Portrait of Charles I (Fig. 3), the horse is unstructured, inaccurate and thus, 6

(fiG. 4) GeorGe StubbS, Plate from tHe anatomy of tHe HorSe (1766)

“I’m amazed to meet in the same person so great an anatomist, so accurate a painter and so excellent an engraver”.5 PetruS camPer, leadinG anatomiSt, 1772 cumbersome. In comparison, Stubbs’s horses, such as Whistlejacket (Fig. 2), are rendered with arresting precision, accurate musculature and consequently, are full of life and movement. So impressive was the depiction of Whistlejacket that the patron, who initially envisaged turning the painting into an equestrian portrait of George III, decided to leave the horse on a neutral background to function as the sole focal point of the painting.6 Stubbs’s paintings of horses are the most accomplished equine sporting pictures of the eighteenth century prompting Judy Egerton, the foremost Stubbs scholar, to describe his works as deceptively simple: ‘some of his subjects seem so ‘ordinary’ that their extraordinary ability to move the spectator takes a second glance to manifest itself ’.7 Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter is an exceptionally fine example of a work by Stubbs that achieves this deceptive effect. The momentous leap in equine portraiture and sporting pictures was the product of Stubbs’s exhausting work culminating in the publication of The Anatomy of the Horse in 1766. Having rented a farmhouse in Lincolnshire, Stubbs and his common-law wife, Mary Spencer (c.1741-1817), undertook the gruesome task of hanging corpses from the ceiling by using iron bars and hooks. According to Ozias Humphrey’s Memoir, 7

(fiG. 5) GeorGe StubbS, Bay malton WitH joHn SinGleton uP, Private collection

or Particulars of the Life of Mr Stubbs, Stubbs injected ‘the muscles, the blood vessels, and the nerves [so that they] retain’d their form to the last without undergoing any change of position’.8 Stubbs would then strip away layers of skin, revealing the muscles that were to be carefully drawn and accompanied by explanations. Stubbs would continue in the same manner until he reached the skeleton and the cadaver was no longer of any use. Notably, Stubbs’s anatomical studies lack the limp, macabre quality associated with dead animals and instead have been presented in such a way that the horse seems ennobled and full of spirit. It is abundantly clear from the outcome that Stubbs was a technically gifted dissector, a professional skill he gained in his early twenties. While in York (a period between 1745 and 1753), Stubbs was given permission to dissect and study his first human corpse by surgeon Charles Atkinson (fl. 1740-1783) and having impressed physicians at the university with his diligence, Stubbs was asked to present lectures to the pupils of the hospital. Stubbs demonstrated a keen intellect and strong interest in anatomy throughout his life and was known to dissect small animals even as a child. Stubbs did not only produce the drawings for the illustrations but also all of the engravings (Fig. 4), thus, by the time he publishing his study, Stubbs was incredibly knowledgeable about the anatomy of the horse through repetition alone, that there is a marked improvement in his own paintings. Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter is a marvelous example of the naturalism and accuracy that Stubbs achieved due to his detailed anatomical studies.

Generally, Stubbs painted horses in moments of repose so that he could make the most of his anatomical drawings and thus, achieve a precise portrayal. Although Stubbs’s horses may sometimes seem idle, small gestural details create the sense of imminent movement. In Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter the horse’s ears are pricked, nasal passages dilated and veins pumped; its muscles are clearly depicted as it pauses for breath. Stubbs also attempted to paint pictures of horses galloping, however, these were typically unsuccessful in capturing an accurate representation of the animal’s gait. A galloping horse is too fast to sketch, so many artists adhered to the traditional stifflegged pose of painting horses with extended rear and front legs, with all their limbs off the ground. Stubbs’s paintings of galloping horses such as Bay Malton with John Singleton up (Fig. 5) are much less confident and impressive when compared to paintings such as Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter. A horse’s gait was only properly interpreted with the advent of photography and the 1878 study by Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904, Fig. 6). Until this time, Stubbs’s understanding of the mechanics and anatomy of the horse remained canonical and have still endured as incredibly important for the study and painting of horses.

nature and innovation The only record of the first thirty-five years of Stubbs’s life is found in Humphrey’s Memoir which was written following a series of conversations with the artist between 1794 and 1797. Stubbs would have already been over seventy years old and although the details in Memoir cannot be accepted with unwavering confidence, it is interesting to note the underlying messages Stubbs wanted to convey. For instance, throughout the biography, Stubbs attempts to perpetuate the myth that he only ever learnt from nature; a somewhat romanticised outlook that can be proved invalid. According to Humphrey, Stubbs ‘would look into nature for himself and consult and study her only and to this determination he steadily adhered during the course of his long life, for he never copied one picture whatsoever for his own improvement – either in Italy or elsewhere’. Perhaps, Stubbs’s felt that this perspective would give his work an added air of originality or gravitas and would aid in overcoming the complexities associated with being branded a horse painter. Stubbs believed that true beauty was to be found in nature and that rather than copying other artists, one should copy the natural world, thus, justifying his choice of equine subjects; it was not a question of skill, but rather inspiration. In 1754, Stubbs embarked for Italy, a destination that was well-established as a rite of passage for artists who wished to improve their status and prestige. Italy was a stepping stone which provided networking opportunities with other artists and patrons, however, Stubbs’s motive for going to Italy was apparently ‘to convince himself that nature was always superior to art whether Greek or Roman, & having renew’d this conviction he immediately resolved upon returning home’. However, it is quite clear that Stubbs was more appreciative of the artistic output of other artists than he would like us to think.

(fiG. 6) eadWeard muybridGe, tHe HorSe in motion (1878) 9

Works by Italian Masters such as Titian, Giorgione and Tintoretto were mentioned in the contents of his studio following his death, clearly indicating his affinity for the Old Masters. These works were likely to have influenced Stubbs and certain features and components particular to the Italian Masters can be seen in his own paintings. In the eighteenth century there was a strong feeling among artists that the technique of the Old Masters was lost and should be sought again. Reynolds is famously said to have methodically removed the layers of paint from pictures, essentially dissecting them, in order to determine the techniques of Italian painters. There is evidence to believe that Stubbs was interested in regaining this lost knowledge too. From the 1770’s onwards Stubbs’s materials changed drastically and although they continue to be labelled as oil on canvas or panel, this description is inadequate in explaining the complexities of his medium. Stubbs’s works on panels post-1770, such as the present work, were often painted in mixtures of beeswax and non-drying oils and fats even though this is not apparent to the naked eye.9 Conservators have noted that the mixtures in these resin/fat or resin/wax paintings are always different and that this indicates that Stubbs was constantly looking for a better medium to replicate the effects of the Old Masters. Curiously, these panels have withstood the test of time and are in very good condition while other artists’ experiments deteriorated quickly. Perhaps, this is a testament to Stubbs’s knowledge, foresight and ability to methodically combine science and art in his search for the technique of the Old Masters.

Subject-matter Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter is comparable to a number of paintings in Stubbs’s oeuvre in subject-matter and composition and has a particular resemblance to Stubbs’s self-portrait on enamel of 1772 (Fig. 7). According to some scholars, the similarity in the pose of the gentleman, the horse and the background suggests that the rider in Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter is a relative of Stubbs’s or at least a close friend; the open demeanour and informal pose suggests that the sitter ‘belongs to a circle in which Stubbs felt at home’.10 In 1972, Basil Taylor proposed that ‘the man’s features show such a strong resemblance to the artist’s, while being considerably younger, that one is bound to consider the possibility that the picture may represent his natural son, George Townly Stubbs’.11 Unfortunately, no portrait of Townly Stubbs exists, so the theory is impossible to corroborate and must remain speculative. Nonetheless, the painting is considered as a highly significant embodiment of all the elements that Stubbs is famous for; an accurate depiction of a horse, a strong representation of a figure and a picturesque landscape acting as a harmonious backdrop. One way in which Stubbs added variety to his paintings was by placing them in different landscapes. Creswell Crags, on the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border, was a particular favourite of Stubbs’s and features in a number of his works such as A Grey Hunter with a Groom and a Greyhound at Creswell Crags (c.1762-64. Fig. 8). The crags were not particular well-known during Stubbs’s time, however, The Beauties of England and Wales (1801-1815), a guide to Britain’s topography, noted that Creswell Crags are ‘curious and worthy of notice, consisting of rocks torn by some convulsion of nature into a thousand romantic shapes’, adding that they ‘are not often visited’, since they lie ‘out of the usual track of good roads’.12 Although some believe that Portrait of a 10

(fiG. 7) GeorGe StubbS, Self-Portrait on a Grey Hunter (1782) enamel on WedGWood biScuit eartHenWare, merSeySide county council, tHe lady lever art Gallery, Port SunliGHt

(fiG. 8) GeorGe StubbS, a Grey Hunter WitH a Groom and GreyHound at creSWell craGS (c.176264), tate britain, london

Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter is located at Creswell Crags, it must be noted that it is more likely to be an imagined, generalised landscape than a precisely identifiable topographical area. In his later works, Stubbs transitioned from painting specific areas to using a reliable picturesque formula, comprising of distant hills, water in the middle distance and a rocky outcrop in the foreground, to please contemporary taste. Perhaps, Stubbs heeded Reynolds’s advice delivered as part of his third discourse at the Royal Academy in 1770 when he urged that ‘nature is not to be too closely copied. A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great, can never raise and enlarge the conceptions. The whole beauty of the art consists, in my opinion, of being able to get above all singular forms, local customs, particularities and details of every kind’.13 After the 1760s, Stubbs chiefly worked out of his studio in London and would only have had limited opportunity to visit the crags, however, the importance and influence of the cliffs cannot be overlooked. The background in Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter was likely to have been composed of elements from the area and reformulated into a dramatic yet harmonious composition exemplary of Stubbs’s imagination and artistic ability. The background is seen to the left and provides a distant horizon towards which our subjects seem to be heading. In contrast, the right-hand side of the composition provides a mid-ground to suggest the scale of the gorge as it climbs above the scene. The craggy bluff forms a strong dark backdrop for the pale grey horse in the foreground, pushing the subjects to prominence, a device Stubbs had experimented with before and managed to perfect in the present painting.

market value and recePtion Stubbs’s enormous talents were recognised by patrons and although his subjectmatter held him back, certain artists, such as Reynolds, greatly admired his work. According to Humphrey, Reynolds gave Stubbs his first commission after settling in London in 1759. This is significant given that Reynolds was already considered the leading portrait painter in the city. Unfortunately, the painting, Portrait of a Managed Horse, is now lost, but we also know that in 1762 Reynolds wished to obtain another painting by Stubbs, on this occasion a painting depicting a mythical subject, the fall of Phaeton. This interesting fact demonstrates that Reynolds held Stubbs in high regard from a technical and artistic perspective, regardless of his choice of subject. 12

In the twentieth century, one of the most famous collectors of works by Stubbs was Paul Mellon, a thoroughbred race horse owner/breeder and co-heir of Mellon Bank. In 1957, his family were in the top eight richest families in America and were highly supportive of causes that advanced the preservation of horses, including the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation which allocated grants towards specific research projects for the safety, welfare, longevity and improvement of life for race horses. Stubbs, perhaps the greatest painter of equine subjects to ever grace the art world, was an obvious choice for a philanthropist wishing to combine his taste for art with his interest in horses. In 1936, he bought his first British painting, Pumpkin with a Stable Lad by Stubbs, and in 1964, Mellon acquired the Portrait of a Gentleman upon a Grey Hunter. Paul Mellon was responsible for setting up the Yale Center for British Art, to which he donated a large proportion of his collection and has been intrinsic to the burgeoning popularity of Stubbs having generously supported the Tate’s landmark exhibition of the artist’s work in 1984. Stubbs continues to be incredibly collectable and it is rare for fine examples of his work to appear on the open market. Below is a list of noteworthy and record-breaking sales: Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a trainer, jockey and a stable lad (Fig. 9) Oil on canvas, 76 1⁄4 x 40 in. (193.6 x 101.6 cm.) Christie’s London: Tuesday, July 5, 2011, Lot 12, Old Master & British Paintings Estimate: £20,000,000 - £30,000,000 ($32,169,856 - $48,254,785) Sold: £22,441,250 with premium Brood mares and foals Oil on canvas, 74.3 x 39.3 in. (188.6 x 99.7 cm) Sotheby’s London: Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Lot 45, Old Master & British Paintings Estimate: £10,000,000 - £15,000,000 ($15,787,811 - $23,681,717) Sold: £10,121,250 with premium Bay Malton with John Singleton up (Fig. 5) Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in. (127 x 101.6 cm) Christie’s London: Wednesday, July 8, 1998, Lot 20, Wentworth Sale Estimate: £2,000,000 - £3,000,000 ($3,273,858 - $4,910,787) Sold: £3,026,500 with premium

(fiG. 9) GeorGe StubbS, Gimcrack on neWmarket HeatH, WitH a trainer, jockey and a StaBle lad (c. 1765) Private collection

noteS

Horace Walpole, Public Advertiser, 4 November 1763

Reynolds and Gainsborough paintings occasionally display flawed or inaccurate anatomy

Paul Mellon Centre, ‘Paul Mellon (1907-1999)’, http://www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/about/paul-mellon

Venetia Morrison, The Art of George Stubbs, Quarto Publishing, London (1989), p.7

Petrus Camper, in a letter cited in The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 100 (1806), London, England

Morrison, p. 58

Judy Egerton, George Stubbs 1724-1806, ex. cat., Tate Gallery, London (1984), p.19

Ozias Humphrey, Memoir, manuscript in the Picton Collection, Liverpool City Libraries, c.1795

Egerton, p.20, 21

Egerton, p.164

Basil Taylor, Stubbs, Phaidon, London (1971), p. 211

Rev. J. Hodgson and F. C. Laird, Beauties of England & Wales, XII, i, London (1813), p.371

Robert Wark, Discourses of Sir Joshua Reynolds, New Haven and London (1981), p.43-44